China asks US not to take 'unilateral action' against Syria

Beijing: Expressing ‘grave concern’ over a possible Western military strike on Syria, China on Monday asked US not to launch any unilateral action against the troubled country over its alleged use of chemical weapons.

"Any action taken by the international community should abide by the principle of the UN charter and basic norms of the international relations so as to avoid complicating the Syrian issue and bring more disasters to the Middle Eastern region," he said.

"We support UN carrying professional objective and impartial investigation. Any action should be based on the results of the investigation. The result should tell us whether the chemical weapon has been used and who used it. Based on those results the international community can take actions," he said.

Hong said that the US side has spoken about its evidence on the chemical weapons used in Syria. But he reiterated that there should not be any unilateral action.

Hong said that no side should rush to pre-judge the results of an investigation by UN chemical weapons experts in Syria, saying a political solution is the only practical way to solve the issue.

China, veto welding member of the US Security Council, has been reticent in backing any military action against Syria.

Officials said Beijing would not like to repeat the Libyan example when China and Russia backed US and EU proposals to impose air blockade against government led by Muammar Gaddafi, whose regime was subsequently overthrown.